Alba Telecaster copy

Telecaster features, 2 single coil p/ups, 3 saddle bridge

Bought it for hot-rodding with some seymour duncan humbuckers, but looks like I might be buying a second one to do that!!

Very reasonable quality for the sub ??50 price + postage if you like to tinker to get a good set up

Good tele like sounds from the bridge p/up, not too keen on the output from the neck p/up so I removed the cover and mounted on to the scratch plate ala strat style - now I can position it closer to the strings and get some nice neck tones!!

the nut wasn't cut too well so a very high action out of the box- this is a cheap guitar so I don't suppose a top luthier is setting it up in the factory!

had a go at rectifying this and went for a new graphtech nut - sorted!

finish is good and clean

these things feel like the workhorses they are copying. I'm guessing the only thing you need to keep in mind is its built with cheap hardware. If your handy with a few tools no worries replacing stuff if the need arrives.

No opinion as its all just fine

I've been playing for 20 years now and as an engineer i take an interest in how stuff is made and works. I own many guitars, and as a budget guitar this seems fine. If you like to tweak stuff it's a great base. Being a tele you have to go some to screw it up, and I'm guessing the first bits to cause any concern will be the hardware - if you're worried swap them out!

Check the nut, probably needs a set-up doing but great to have around just to noodle on.

I would buy it again anytime at this price

I have to add my review as it tops all the others here.

I paid only 35.50 pounds for mine delivered to UK as at same time bought an 'Alba' Strat copy from same vendor (OTC on ebay), for a friend's daughter and the company even split the delivery charge! I opted for the silver sparkle Tele with Black Pickguard and aimed to use it to hot rod. I have never really been a Telecaster fan and this was to fill the gap in the line-up which currently comprises:

Fender '73 Hardtail Strat, Gibson 335 dot, Gibson Les Paul, Yamaha SG2000S and Hofner E457 Archtop.

After 34 years a player, you'd think I'd know a thing or too about quality?? Wrong! I have had inordinate trouble with the Gibsons and the 335's predecessor in particular - an Epiphone Lucille, so there was no expectation here. BUT when it came it immediately felt 'right' The sweet tones, even through a solid state Session Rockette 30 amp, relatively clean set, was very apparent and each POWERFUL pickup has a distinctive and articulate character. It sounds very Fender vintage... all the Tele classic tones are here in spades. The taper on the pots is excellent - nice progressive action ALL the way up and down and nice damping too. The PUP selector is a litlle lightweight compared to a Fender, but it has the authentic 57 'Top Hat' toggle nonetheless! Also authentic is the 6 barrel saddles arrangement. Not the best, better than the 3 barrel, but the saddles need to be heavier weight for the '3' anyway - Brass in particular and you won't get that when they shove these out the door for only 99 pence plus carriage if you are lucky!!

Now some more on tones. This 'Thang can Twang!! But the neck PUP is full of soul, the middle selection is classic Motown and indie Brit and the bridge is HOT! Add some extra gain from your amp or pedals and this thing can squeal and scream like a banshee - everything is there from grungy Neil Young to Guns 'n' Roses and this is no Seymore Dunacan'd Les Paul! Oh and it sustains beautifully for a lightweight body - even unplugged it is unmistakable - you can physically feel it...

Hear it for yourself when I first got it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M-MzI3sBA0

A downside - sounds plain through my Fender 59 Bassman LTD (annoyingly!). Sounds exquisite through my Pignose G40V (same circuit as the Bassman strangely but with added gain) and sounds unbelievable through my Session Rockette 30, as an honest, no frills/fx added plug-in and go. Also handles my Vinatge Kay Wah Wah better than any of the other guitars too. But - YOU DO NOT NEED pedals for this guitar to sound good, they just add further amazing dimmensions you'd never expect.

Overall paint finish is good, so too the satin neck lacquer - no stickiness at all, neck is nicely chunky but not as flat as a Les Paul, and perhaps faster even as a result. So, to recap, upside - sounds amazing, feels nice, looks nice, finish good, even the thru' body drill holes are in a line on mine! The pickguard has a shallower topside profile than a Fender and the headstock slightly broader but are concessions to get around copyright obviously.

So any other shortcomings? Yes, intonation has been an issue and spent bloody hours fiddling. But then my new Gibson 335 isn't brilliant... But if you have a tuneful ear you can find a balance - you may not be in concert E, but everything will hang together up the neck and it will sound nice.

So after a year - It is still in good shape and I have tweaked it relentlessly. The neck now has those classic wear marks you see on relic'd maple neck'd Teles even! So it will last... I removed the logo too and looks better for it.

To remove logo you require: Nail polish remover (Acetone), Cotton buds, tissues, Brass cleaner, soft cloth. Dip the cotton bud in acetone just enough to moisten. Gently trace around the lettering individually. Dab any excess with tissue. It takes a few mins to soften and then can be rubbed with a lightly Acetone-moistened tissue. ALLOW TO DRY/HARDEN, and then simply buff with Brasso, not too much to shine, but to blend-out the mattness left by the Acetone on the lacquer. That's it, no further refinishing required.

I have been playing mine for a whole year now. I haven't changed the strings yet but will do (! reasons below). I have some Strat square sadlles to try as to, some better tuners. I did contact the trading co at the beginning and said it was an amazing guitar but the tuners on mine were clunky... guess what? They sent 6 replacements free of charge!! I'll still opt for better tuners when I change them though -it deserves it.

I'd gig with it but only when I have resaddled and retuner'd it, but even so, it sounds/plays good enough. It is the most often played in my lineup of gear and so comfortable to pick up for 5 mins and find yourself putting down 2 hours later!

Do yourself a massive favor - Grab one!

Oh and their Strat?? - even better finish/fit/setup than this Tele for everything - even stays in tune when wammying!, but I have an original '73 Fender Strat, I don't need another do I?

Standard tele copy

Wht on earth would cable/gig bag be discussed here ?

Cheap chinese copies
Unpredictable But Generaly OK

Set up, usualy ok, never great

solid.

Light,

experts would sugest light is bad.
So why r there so many big brands
advertising xtra light bodies ?

no idea

I am sick of 'players' whinging about these
guitars. When the 'included' strap is sited
as being faulty rather than an opionion
of the guitar then I wonder.

You pay around 30 GB, Shipment would be ?
20 sterling. so 50 GB. Tops.

So you have being playing for many years
and you choose to buy a 30 quid chinese
guitar to replace your 67 LP. Yeah right.

As you strut your stuff on the stage with
your 62 strat (?) you think, 'I know' I'll
buy chinese guitar for 30 quid ?? Cos I'm told
the strap is really nice!!

If you want a class guitar, then pay for it|||||

Shocking

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This one's a very sleek all black 2007/08 tele shape with pretty much the same on it as everybody else. It looks absolutely superb except... the Alba name in cheap gothic ruins the look as previously stated but should be easily removed. Hopefully anyhow. The strings are through body and the holes are as oddly out of line as a previous reviewer stated but otherwise as said before, although the proportions are a little odd, not exactly tele, the guitar looks great. But surely it's got to be possible to spend two minutes in the factory to reset the drilling jig. Nothing extra included in the package but then, for 35 GBP + 15 or so for shipping what else should I expect. This guitar has everything a (fake or real) telecaster should and nothing more. Like a tele, then.

Having read all the reviews I was not that optimistic however - the neck pickup has a really good bluesy jazzy sound - maybe not smooth enough for jazz but pretty rich for everyday stuff. The bridge pickup is very bright. To much for me. I think the mid-position is about right and, as I'm never playing lead, is probably where it'll stay except for a couple of songs I'll need the neck only. The volume control is balanced through the rotation but the tone pot seems not to work at all! Not really a concern for me as I don't need to fine tune the tone but I can see it being a major problem for some people.

The action was a little high and still is - I don't mind that, I'm not going for speed - but as for the rest, the strings were better quality than I expected and the guitar was pretty much in tune when it came out of the box and has pretty much stayed that way. And I've played it for at least an hour or two every day for the three weeks I've had it. I have to say that I love to play this guitar. A previous review talks about the "fat" neck of the old time tele and boy is this it. Only problem is the tone pot. As far as I can tell, it just doesn't work. But the guitar... well, it just plays. I'm a little rusty and I have to tell you, it's so easy to play and more importantly it's fun to play.

This guitar I think, will withstand live playing, certainly my live playing which is quite restrained these day. The hardware seems of a good enough quality to see me through my performing days. if the finish wears, it'll just look better. And if it looks bad, it's cheap enough to replace it. I think this is a dependable guitar - time will tell and should it fail within a year or two, be sure I'll be back to modify this comment. As for using this guitar on a gig without a backup, no. But then, I wouldn't use any guitar on a gig without a backup.

No experience of this. Not yet, at least.

I've been playing on and off for almost 40 years. Lately more off than on. My first guitars were a Hofner Verithin and a Senator Bass and after that a variety of Gibson, Fender (tele) and others. Over the years guitars have come and gone with the tides of life but I am now re-entering the world - tho' sadly on the cheap. I have a Wesley Monarch Bass (love it-brilliant value), a Wesley acoustic (good value also) and a Tanglewood TH (335 style) which was going to be my performance guitar. I say was because I bought this Alba solely to practice on at home - never to see the light of stage. I'm going to be playing with some experienced (and even established musicians) and an Alba!? But you know what, I'm not embarrassed at all. I'll use this super little guitar at least as much as I do the Tanglewood. Probably more. Super little Alba. Definitely the easiest guitar I've ever played. Just for the confidence it's given me. I can do things on this I couldn't do when I was playing for real! Thirty-five quid. You're having a laugh. Love it. OK - if it cost a thousand pounds, I'd give it a six of so but for the price - brilliant!

Frankly I'm appalled by the reviews left here. Something stinks and Harmony Central need to sort it out.
This is a Chinese made Tele copy sold by a German company on Ebay.
I got a Tele with three saddles and they don't even spread the strings evenly. They're about 4 mm out between the saddles. That's guitar death. The fingerboard is rosewood. The neck pickup is glued in. The screws on the pickguard are made from some kind of recycled white metal which disintegrates when you use a screwdriver. The nut is cut at a weird slant. It isn't curved, it's just cut an angle. I had to wash my hands after using the strings supplied and they stretch like Stretch Armstrong.

On the good side. The body is solid wood. The neck joint is the best you could get, no kidding. You can't neck bend this guitar. But you can't actually play it either.

I like the sound of the neck pickup, it's very bluesy. Unfortunately I couldn't hear the top E. It just goes "donk" quietly. The bridge pickup is massively trebly but, amazingly, the tone control works. So if you set it to 3 you can get a useable sound. The volume also works progressively unlike all cheap guitars. The trouble is, to enjoy these sounds you would need a decent guitar attached.

No set up at all when I got it. An hour would be the least amount of time needed to get this working, if you are a decent guitar tech. You can't adjust the neck pickup. Massive white blemish in the tobacco-burst. The action is massive. I'd suggest the fretboard is badly made.

The tuners are horrible. I'd expect enclosed tuners to be decent but these slip from the get go. If the strings, screws etc are anything to go on I would take this as a backup to a barbecue if I thought they would run out of wood. Definitely wouldn't take it to a gig, if only for my self-esteem.

The company concerned tried to get me to send it back and pay for all mail charges both ways despite the fact it wasn't the guitar I ordered.

Don't buy. Especially not for a kid who is starting out.

Sunburst colour telecaster, made in China (supplied via Germany), with heavy gloss finish on what (they tell me) is a solid maple body; satin-finish neck with 22 frets, and some Grover-style tuners which as others have said, are not terribly good but look as though they should be.

'Maple' can mean any one of about 120 tree species; certainly these seem to be pretty solid.

Standard two-pickup Tele configuration, really...

Quiet pickups, both in the sense that they have low noise, but also rather unimpressive output! But may end up swapping them out with something more potent.

For general info, see the Overall impressions bit below; but well put-together, with some setting up necessary (reasonably enough, at this price). Supplied with a nice set of .009-.046 strings. Controls are good quality and reassuringly solid - I've seen many worse on more expensive instruments.

Should be plenty strong and reliable enough for just about anything, appearing pretty strong; and in a Telecaster there's not much to go wrong.

I thought it would be worth putting in a note on these guitars, because having bought two now, I am amazed at how different they are! All the above comments apply to both though.

The first was a very light-body guitar, with a beautiful orange sunburst; smooth rounded edges, a blonde maple fingerboard, a steel through-body-string bridge with six saddles. Headstock is not quite tele-shape, and has the Alba logo on it.

Quality seemed very good, except for a knot on the fingerboard that you would not want to accept from a more expensive guitar, and some gentle filing needed on one of the saddles. Anyway, I was sufficiently impressed to buy another, for someone else.

The second was a heavy guitar with a light tobacco-burst finish; the body has much less rounded edges, and a 'dish' style tele bridge which does not feed strings through the body. It has a very convincing tele headstock without a logo, AND a rather nice rosewood fingerboard - all this with exactly the same description on ebay!

Anyway, I think both are really quite nice quality guitars, and purchased for much less than the price of the hardware on its own from any other source! I thought people might usefully be made aware though, that the guitar they get may be rather different than the one they think they are getting - there is not much consistency from one instrument and another, and this story seems to be borne out by other accounts.

Looks good. satin neck, glossy body.
Feels good to hold. A very pleasing
feel.

Unlike others. I found the bridge pickup
far to mellow. The bridge pickup was spot
on tele, the bridge lacked all the brightness
you would want.

it was ok as it came, but after an while tinkering
it was so much better.

There is no way this thing will break.
It is crude yet strong. I would gig
with it depending on the required 'noise'
After readin other reviews I've ordered
anaother to see if the bridge pickup is
brighter.

I've played for about 40 years.
sometimes for serious money, sometimes
just to relax. I;m relaxingt now with my alba.

This guitar looks great, it feels great.

Is it a vintage fender, no. could you expect that
from somethings that cost a tenth of a current fender
no. Is it great value yes. Its by far better
than most copies. It is mad how cheap it is.

Would I buy another. oddly I started looking
for cheaper guitars because I was away from home
a lot and would not take my 'babies' with me.

So this is the sacrificail lamb, if it was stolen I
would not miss thye money of replacing it, but I
would miss a good friend.

I don't know if you guys will accept this, but I've bought a lot of Tele's, Strats and LP's from this company and I thought I would write one really comprehensive review.Unusual Company, unusual guitars, unusual review! Here we go. These guitars are made in China and distributed by a company in Germany. All models come fitted with exactly what you would expect from the type they represent, and everything works just like it should. All the guitars are made of maple which makes them incredibly light, but imparts a bright sound and plenty of sustain. More importantly these guitars have TONE!

I spend most of my time recording and play a very wide range of styles and consequently use a lot of different guitars, effects and amp models. All of these models sound remarkably like the instruments they represent, although I would say that the LP is closer to an SG. The single coil pick ups are powerful and pretty much hum free. The humbuckers are surprisingly good clean or dirty, but do seem to vary a lot in output and are certainly not balanced pairs. Having said that, I can get sounds out of one of these that I can't get out of my Gibsons. As I mentioned earlier, the controls really do work on these guitars so you can get a good range of tones from all of them.

So far I have bought 3 x Teles, 6 x Strats and 5 x LP's for myself and people I know, all of which I have played and set up to everyones personal preferences. The LP's are the only ones I have had any issues with. I would say that the LP's are, or have been, produced at two different factories. Up until the last one, which was the same as the others, the white ones I have received have been a different shape from the others (basically a law suit headstock and horn), there is paint instead of binding and I am pretty sure that the fingerboard is maple with a rosewood stain. The quality control on these particular guitars has been woeful! However the other LP's are great, apart from the tuners which are crap, they have a set neck (with what looks like a long tenon!)and the cherry sunburst is a thing of genuine beauty. Other than that, and the fact that the guy who drills the string holes in the back of the Tele's does it with his eyes shut, they are all bang on.

Apart from the issues I have already mentioned, I can't find anything to fault with any of them. They look and feel pretty much bullet proof to me.

These guys are absolutely top. I had to send back one of the white LP's for the above reasons, and they had sent me a sunburst Strat instead of a black one. They arranged a collection and delivered the replacements before I had a chance to do the returns! Unforunately one of the tuners on the replacement LP didn't work, no problem two new ones were sent to me. Best I've ever dealt with.

I've been playing 34 years and have over 20 guitars. I've said all I want to about the LP's and the Strats, I've reserved this bit for the Tele's. These things look like a cartoon version of a Telecaster. The general shape is right but all of the proportions are wrong. Everything is too big! Especially the headstock and the neck, which combined with the oversized but incredibly light body makes this the Stuka of the guitar world. Amazingly it looks fantastic and is a joy to play. God only knows the story behind the pick ups, but they produce the sounds I've spent a lifetime looking for. The finish on the black one is stunning and just oozes cool. Sustain is unbelievable. Would I replace it? Oh yes! Overall these things are bloody amazing, far, far better than the usual beginners guitar. In a lot of ways they are quite unique instruments in their own right at a ridiculous price.

Sunburst body, with single-ply black pickguard, maple neck and fingerboard, and chrome hardware. Standard telecaster configuration. The wood of the body is unknown (to me!), might be alder? It's light and with a pretty grain.
The bridge is the vintage style with three saddles: not the best for accurate intonation, but some folks swear by it for that "vintage vibe" sound. It works well enough, in my opinion. Unusually, it has 22 frets rather than 21. The neck has a very beautiful grain, and the headstock has two string guides, rather than one: nice improvement. The headstock is almost like a Fender Tele, but a little larger on the side of the higher strings. The Alba logo is not veyr pretty in my opinion, but it doesn't bother me. Should be easy to remove if one wants to (satin natural finish).
All in all, pretty standard telecaster stuff, mostly, versatile... oh, the stringing is through the body, from the back: bonus, as it adds sustain and helps the general tone.

It sounds just like a Tele, the pickups are surprisingly nice. The bridge is gritty and full, the neck is mellow and round, and with both on you get the classic "tele honk"...
Single coils, noisier than humbuckers by nature, they behave just like in a real Telecaster.
The bridge can be a bit too bright if using a lot of gain, but the tone control quickly takes care of that and tames it just the little bit that's required. Very pleased.

The action is set low. The neck is a little on the chunky side, but veyr comfortable... it certainly is no Ibanez Wizard neck, but it has a modern profile and witha flattish fingerboard, very comfortable to play. Frets a little smaller than I prefer (I suppose to go with the "vintage" vibe) but they're well fit. The neck is beautiful, the finish is satin and it has a beautiful grain both on the front (fingerboard) and the back.
Overall the finish is pretty good.

It's a tele copy, but a tele... a design that you can truly rely on. Well made, great sounds, I can't foresee any problems with it.

Never dealt with. Not likely to.

Been playing for over 15 years, and when I saw this I just had to get it... Fantastic Tele sounds at just over ??100? Brilliant. It also looks pretty! It's clearly not a Fender Telecaster, which I like in that it's not trying to faithfully copy the original, but it retains its own personality.
It's a very light guitar, but it seems to balance well... perhaps just a little bit neck-heavy? Minimal. Great guitar for the price. I'd buy another in a heartbeat if I had the space!
I'd replace it with another just like it, if stolen (but don't steal it, get your own! ;-)

I bought a sunburst tele copy. It has clasic tele 3 piece bridge. Lowered strings to lowest position and no problems. Action improved a lot and still sounds good with no buzzing on frets.
Only accessory was allen key for neck but no pronlem Price excellent. Customer service good. My 1st delivery had cosmetic flaws with hairline cracks in finish. No quibble replacement and very quick turnround.
Adjusted bridge pickup to boost output on treble strings and worked a treat.

I ama beginner after 40 years without a guitar! Couldn't play it 40 years ago but making good progress with a guitar I like.
Sounds good though to date I have only played it through my computer!
Tone and volume controls good but could be better if more variation in tone control. 3 way switch does make a difference to the sound. Probably better than anticipated.

Very well set up but improved action dramatically by lowering bridge. Went al the way to the bottom with no problems.
As mentioned above fretwire could be better with a little more attention to filing. Everything else very satisfactory.
Neck pick up felt a little loose at first but no detraction from sound.

No intentions of live playing but cannot imagine any problems. Bought it for own amusement. My brother is a professional guitarist of 45 years.
Will update his rating when he has had a look at it.
Hardware seems built to last, good finish all round. Strap buttons solid. Tuning doesn't seem to move after first couple of weeks out of the box! I finf this really impressive!

Company very friendly to deal with. 1 year warranty and dealings to date give me no reason to think there will be any problem if I have to go back to them.

Beginner. Was drummer and later singer in bands 40 years ago.
If it was lost or stolen I would be happy to buy same model again.
I love everything about it except the label on the head. This is very tacky indeed. I will remove it and leave it bare! Also the head is much bigger than a Tele. Would be a big improvement to get closer to the Tele style head!
My favourite feature is that it looks and feels good. But remember I am a beginner!
I also really like the price GBP 60.00 approx including delivery from Germany to UK!!!

I wanted to submit a review of this guitar, because no-one else had yet, and I think that this guitar is a sufficiently enough unusual tele copy to warrant attention from other tele enthusiasts. I bought it out of curiosity as it was so cheap, but as it turns out it is a really unusual and really rather good tele copy. Some guy on Ebay buys these guitars from a Chinese manufacturer, and sells and distributes them, from Germany, to the UK, which is where I am, for 60 quid...DELIVERED! Amazing! The best bit is, that the guitar is a really quite authentic vintage tele style guitar, with a big fat neck, single ply guard, and 3-piece bridge.

It sounds exactly like a tele should. Sharp and pokey at the bridge, funky and out-of-phase at the middle, and creamy and bluesy at the neck. My favourite is the middle position, which sounds "just about right" for nearly any style of type of music. The neck is good for acoustic picking where it has a nice sort of harp-like quality, and of course the neck is good for country twang, or rocking, with a bit of overdrive. Its not really a metal machine though.

Surprisingly good considering the ridiculously low price. Although I HATE the tacky ALBA (in gothic lettering) logo...GET RID IF IT! I had to lower the action a little bit, but that is. The standard of finish it very good, and the sunburst is really lovely, and much better than some really expensive Fenders that ive seen. The hardware all seems ok and the switches and nobs all work well, with the tone and volume actually making a difference when you use them! The tone nob is particularly good for Claptonesque "woman" tones. It came with 10's on and I prefer 9's so I will re-string it, but as it is it stays in tune really well, even with a lot of country bends. The only thing that I have encountered is the dreaded 3-piece tele bridge intonation problenms, and that is an inherent problem with this design of vintage tele bridge which you get on ALL vintage-style Tele's, even Fenders. The only answer is a compromise with ever-so slightly tuned sharper high notes and flater lower notes.

I would gig with it, but as i am so old (45), I dont really bother with all of that any more and im just a bedroom strummer now. It seems as good as any Fender ive had in the past as far as duribility is concerned, and that FAT neck will outlast many other skinny ones.

The German distributors wwere EXCELLENT, speaking good english, and kept me informed at all times of the delivery process. It arrived within one week from me buying it!

Ive had literally over 50 guitars in the lats 30 years and so I know a bit about them. Ive also bought and sold a few apart from that as a little side-line. This guitar is really unusual in that is mimicks an original 50's tele quite well, and plays and sounds great, for so little money. My observations would be this... the guitar body is quite light, and is not strictly shape-cut as an original tele would be, and the neck has an added maple fretboard (unlike the original), BUT...if you have never tried a fat neck vintage tele before (and believe me..they are QUITE different to a "normal" modern tele), then this is a really good way to go as it definitley feels like a vintage tele and it is quite a rewarding guitar to play because of it. For the low outlay, excellent (GERMAN) seller service, and fine instrument that it is, I cant recommend it highly enough!